The Potential Impact of the Apple Watch on Local SEO

In September 2014, Apple unveiled its next great gadget, the Apple Watch, which is poised to dominate the lukewarm smart watch market. Although brands like Samsung, MOTA, and others have already released their SmartWatch versions, the Apple Watch will do what others can’t: impact local SEO.

For most business, the growth and impact of Local SEO has changed the way local advertising has been done. The move to online marketing has increased over the past few years thanks in part to other changes from Google including its newest incarnation of local SEO called Google My Business. The new Apple Watch, which is set to be released in early 2015, will include Siri, Apple Play, Apple Music, and will be able to support a host of downloadable apps.

Although the Apple Watch will likely serve as new standard for SmartWatch technology once it is released, all eyes will be on its unique technology called “haptic feedback” which could be a game changer for local SEO. Using directional buzzes, the Apple Watch’s haptic feedback will direct users without using a map or even audible directions à la GPS.

How else will the Apple Watch impact local SEO? With its smaller-than-an-iPhone interface, users will likely be using the speak-to-search option on their new Apple Watch instead of typing in a search. This could potentially even the playing field between the two main search engines since Siri uses Bing search results instead of Google. Local businesses will need to start focusing on their Bing Local results as part of their overall local SEO strategy. Jayson DeMers wrote a great in-depth article on Forbes with more insight into the potential impact that the Apple Watch could have on local SEO.